And if Ryan’s senseless murder wasn’t devastating enough, his parents had to deal with the knowledge that their son’s killer took a selfie with his body after the shooting.
Maxwell, aged 16 at the time, took a photograph of himself with Ryan’s bloodied body and sent the horrific image to another boy online, CBS reports.
This May, Maxwell was convicted of third-degree murder and was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison. The teenager had testified that he and his friend were playing with a handgun at the time and that he thought it wasn’t loaded when he pulled the trigger.
Ryan’s parents, George Mangan Jr. and Rebecca Murtland, who stayed silent throughout the trial, opened up to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview about their heartbreak.
“It was like my son died all over again a second time,” George said about the verdict. “And I just feel that this isn’t justice for him.”
During the trial, the graphic photograph was used as vital evidence against Maxwell.
Ryan’s parents questioned how close the two boys really were as friends.
George said the defense had “two years to rehearse a story”, and “had to have an excuse for every little thing”.
Ryan’s mother, Rebecca, added: “Ryan deserved justice.
“He could have been saved.”
Maxwell’s lawyer is currently appealing the murder conviction and prison sentence.
This article first published on Marie Claire.
